DUBAI, November 16, 2009 – Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today at the Dubai Airshow the first delivery to a Middle East customer of a new Citation X business jet retrofitted with Elliptical Winglets.

The aircraft was delivered to Saad Wallan, chairman of Wallan Aviation. The winglets were installed at Cessna’s Wichita Citation Service Center under Winglet Technology’s U.S. Federal Aviation Administration-approved Supplemental Type Certificate.

Based in Riyadh and Dubai, Wallan Aviation is Cessna’s Authorized Sales Representative and Authorized Citation Service Center for the Middle East. Wallan uses his Citation X to travel between his diverse business interests in the Middle East, United States, Europe and Asia.

Cessna and Winglet Technology, LLC, collaborated to develop the latter’s patented Elliptical Winglet for retrofit on the Citation X. The patented winglet shape ensures the lift distribution that closely matches optimum lift distribution along the span of the wing, which reduces the induced drag of the aircraft. The resulting drag reduction enhances operational performance for the Citation X including decreased fuel consumption, increased speed and increased range.

Winglet Technology received FAA approval for the winglet installation on the Citation X in June 2009. The retrofit kit includes flight and operations manual supplements along with an updated version of CESSNAV for customers who have purchased that subscription service from Cessna. In addition to the installation of the winglets, the retrofit kit includes the replacement of the existing anti-collision and position light system with LED versions.

Plans are underway to offer installation of the winglets on the Citation X at all nine Cessna Service Centers located throughout the U.S. and in Europe. Cessna Parts Distribution will be providing spares support for Citation Xs with the winglets installed.

The Citation X is the world’s fastest non-military aircraft with a top speed of .92 Mach, just under the speed of sound. The Citation X is the top of Cessna’s line of light and mid-size business jets.

Marc has over 20 years’ international PR experience gained at leading agencies and in-house. He has specialised in aviation and travel for a decade, devising and overseeing successful international PR programmes and building 80:20 Communications into an acclaimed sector specialist.